By Tiffany Ng 

Mothers give a lot. But what if they are giving out of nothing? It is a recipe for disaster.

My mission field was once East Asia, first as a team member, and then a team leader, during my days in university. As part of my training, I read an article titled “Moving from Solitude to Community to Ministry” by Henri Nouwen. The link between my quiet times with Jesus and ministering to others was “community,” which at the time, came in the forms of my weekly team meetings, Friday night Bible study group, and perhaps my three other like-minded apartment-mates.

Fast forward, when my oldest was first born, I found myself on my own as a new mother. I found myself in solitude a lot (Do sleepless nights with a crying newborn count?), and my new “mission field” was my daughter. But while I appeared like I had it together on the outside, I was seriously struggling on the inside because “community” was the missing link. At that time, the women’s group I was in met inconsistently and infrequently. Most mothers, if not all mothers, in the congregation had adult children, and I was one of the first among my like-minded friends to have a baby, let alone be married.

Fast forward again, now with my youngest child, who was born during this pandemic, I am blessed to be a part of our Friday morning Mom’s Ministry while I work in my 1st grade classroom on the other days as a team-teacher. I am thankful to have this space in my life to regularly meet with other like-minded moms. I leave this place with my heart feeling full from our shared laughter, my spirit inspired by our mentor mom who has gone before us, and my soul humbled by my peers’ honesty. 

But the best part? The commitment to Christ and His words. 

I have followed Jesus since I was in middle school, and over two decades later, I still find myself always needing to have the gospel preached to myself all the time. As we go through “The Gospel Project,” I love our Christ-centered conversations that are based on Scripture. Together, our group spurs one another on to remain faithful to Christ. This Mom’s Ministry is truly a place that creates space in our lives to be empowered to preach Jesus’ life-giving words to our children. In John 10:10, He has said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Thank you, Jesus!

Paul Lu recently joined our staff as an intern. Hear more from him as he shares about his journey and what his hopes are for the future in serving the Lord.

Please share how you came to Evergreen.

Our family came to Evergreen through Michelle and Eric Abe, whose girls were friends with our daughter Phoebe at ACS (Arcadia Christian School). After visiting a few churches, we sensed the Lord guide us to call Evergreen SGV our home church. We have been here since February 2014, and have been members since July 2015. Since then, we have been deeply ministered by pastors, as well as many brothers and sisters in the church.  

What will your internship entail at Evergreen?

My internship will be primarily in Outreach and Worship ministries. I will be serving in Local and Global Outreach with Pastor Hugo and Jon H. I will also coordinate the praise teams for Lord's Day services, serving with Rich, Garrett and Irene. Also, the Lord has placed evangelism and prayer as two areas to serve the body of Christ. I pray for more opportunities to do so. 

What do you hope to gain from your internship at Evergreen?

I hope to be equipped at Evergreen so that when Prudence and I are sent out as missionaries we know how to plant churches and care for the flock. In the meantime, there's a lot to learn from the pastors, staff and the body of Christ on how to minister to one another in God's Word and in prayer.

What are your plans after the internship?

My plan is that Prudence and I would be sent out as missionaries to East Asia, Lord willing. I plan to equip the overlooked people in East Asia with communication tools for them to thrive in society, and look for opportunities to plant churches.

How can the church be praying for you?

Prudence and I are seeking the Lord's will in terms of missions. Please pray that God will bring our differences into alignment with His will. For me specifically, pray that I would lead sacrificially and lovingly.